Adebayo impresses, plus Heat free agent notes

• Rookie first-round forward Bam Adebayo is averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three Orlando Summer League games, while shooting 41 percent from the field (18 for 44). And scouts like what they’ve seen.

“He’s been impressive,” said one veteran scout for another NBA team who watched Adebayo’s 29-point, 11-rebound display on Monday against Detroit. “He’s extremely active on the offensive glass, very athletic. He can post up a little bit. He blocks a few shots. They are alley-ooping to him. His jumper is a little funny looking; it needs some more rotation. He’s not just going to be a defender; he’s going to be able to score.”

• As the Heat continues efforts to re-sign James Johnson and Dion Waiters, a couple things to keep in mind: The Lakers, who on Wednesday are reportedly discussing the merits of an offer to Rajon Rondo or Waiters, have $17 million in cap space but don’t want to sign anyone for more than one year.

The Knicks have interest in Waiters, according to The New York Post, but can clear out only $15 million if they renounce Derrick Rose.

• The Heat and Rudy Gay have been working on potentially setting up a meeting, according to a source. But as of midday Wednesday, there was nothing imminent with a Gay signing.

Utah also reportedly has interest in Gay but can clear out only $11 million in space, primarily by cutting Boris Diaw. Clearing out money beyond that would be more difficult.

Though there’s Heat interest in Gay, it’s unclear how much Miami will be willing to offer a player coming off a torn Achilles injury in January, considering few teams with a small forward need are in position cap-wise to offer money comparable to the $14 million he opted out of with Sacramento.

I won’t be surprised if Gay – who has a home in Miami - is asked to take a team-friendly Heat deal. We’ll see.

In Gay’s defense, he is the most accomplished scorer left in free agency, aside from Dirk Nowitzki, who from all indications is staying with Dallas.

Adebayo had 29 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in his third summer league game. July 3, 2017.

Manny Navarromnavarro@miamiherald.com

• The Heat likes Wayne Ellington but hasn’t told him if Miami will guarantee his $6.3 million salary by Friday’s deadine…. Anthony Morrow reached out to the Heat and would be among shooting options if Miami decides it cannot afford Ellington, who’s good value.

• Agent David Falk has been in contact with Pat Riley. His free agents include Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and Jared Sullinger (who visited with Riley in March and has been trying to get into shape).

“Though Miami ended the season as one of the NBA's hottest teams, I don't think it's realistic to expect the Heat to play like a 60-win team based on the second half of last season. When projecting forward, the first half of the season still counts. And while the Heat undoubtedly had bad luck early in the season, when they lost eight of their 11 games decided by five points or fewer, they benefited from it in the second half.

Related stories from Miami Herald

“From the season's midpoint onward, Miami's 39.0 percent 3-point shooting ranked third in the league according to NBA.com/stats, which will be difficult to sustain with the current roster. (The Heat shot 33.8 percent from beyond the arc over the season's first 41 games.) Meanwhile, Miami's opponents made just 32.8 percent of their 3-pointers in the second half, the league’s fourth-lowest mark. Since defenses have limited control over how well their opponents shoot 3s, that mark will almost certainly regress to the mean.

“That point noted, the Heat should still be competitive in a weakened Eastern Conference. Part of the value of adding Hayward would have been offset by the potential loss of Johnson and Waiters. So even though Miami wanted to sign Hayward badly enough to pull out all the stops when he visited the team on Saturday, this news isn't all bad for the Heat.”

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.